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Zappar Closes $3.75M in Series A Funding

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - Feb 23, 2017) - Zappar, a leading developer of augmented reality (AR) experiences and creative tools, today announced it has raised a $3.75M Series A round, led by respected London investment house Hargreave Hale, with participation from trade investors You & Mr Jones and iDreamSky -- China's leading independent app developer.

"This funding round is another great milestone for the business," said Caspar Thykier, CEO of Zappar. "Zappar's mission is to democratize augmented reality. AR represents an exciting future for consumer engagement connecting devices to the world around us. With this round our established institutional and trade investors lend further credence to this future as we continue towards AR delivering a digital discovery channel through mobile devices and head-mounted displays. This investment will help us further develop ZapWorks: our market leading AR, VR and now Mixed Reality content creation service that will power the future of consumer interaction and engagement for the next generation of digital developers."

Zappar will use the funding to accelerate the development of several new products along with its international expansion. In particular, it will increase development, global marketing and support for its recently launched, flagship product, ZapWorks -- an AR/VR/MR creative suite that makes the whole process of creating amazing, interactive short-form content simple yet expressive. Zappar will also be expanding its team and adding new roles at the company, including additions to its SaaS Sales team, User Success specialists, R&D and Marketing divisions (inquire here). Working with iDreamsky also opens up opportunities for Zappar in the China market.

"We're at a unique moment in time as AR, VR and MR content and technology moves into the mainstream," said Oliver Bedford, Fund Manager at Hargreave Hale. "There are a number of players entering this space. Zappar are a clear front runner, grounded in an established, effective, robust, and highly scalable content creation technology that caters to all markets and developer needs."

To date, Zappar has worked with more than 200 partners from the retail, television, film and packaged goods industries to create interactive, snackable AR campaigns. A firm believer in the democratization of AR, it has thousands of users in 199 countries on the ZapWorks platform.

"Zappar is a best-in-class business that empowers businesses and creatives to build best-in-class augmented reality experiences," said George Prest, Partner at You & Mr Jones, an investor in Niantic, creators of Pokémon Go. "Since launching ZapWorks earlier this year, the platform's ease of use, breadth of tools and affordable cost structure have resonated very strongly with the market, resulting in clear belief from us in their business potential. Zappar has what it takes to truly democratise AR creation, and we're looking forward to the company's successes."

About Zappar Zappar is the world leader in augmented reality ("AR") on mobile devices accessible through its free-to-download app on iOS and Android (or third-party apps with Zappar embedded within them). Zappar specializes in AR-enabled products and infotainment experiences: working closely with brands, license partners and retailers across the world to produce innovative, customizable market-leading solutions as bite-sized entertainment. Partners include Rovio, Sony Pictures, Sony Music, Warner Bros, Hasbro, PEZ, Universal Pictures, Pearson, Crocs, Morphsuits, Moonpig.com, Coca-Cola, Manchester City Football Club and Asda amongst others.

With the launch of ZapWorks, Zappar is bringing to the market the most feature rich and affordable AR/VR content creation tool available that is already being used by Avon Cosmetics, Deloitte, InterContinental Hotels Group, Pernod Ricard, Coca-Cola, R/GA, Samsung, Thomson Reuters and Vodafone among others.

About Hargreave Hale Hargreave Hale provides discretionary investment management and stockbroking services to private clients, intermediaries, corporates, charities and trusts. The firm employs c250 staff based across nine offices* with over £6bn funds under management (£7bn in total AuM).For more information about Hargreave Hale visit www.hargreave-hale.co.uk

Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (209741). Member of the Wealth Management Association and the London Stock Exchange. Incorporated in England and Wales. Company number 3146580. Registered office: Talisman House, Boardmans Way, Blackpool, FY4 5FY. Tel: 01253 754700. Telephone calls may be recorded.

About You & Mr Jones You & Mr Jones is the world's first Brandtech group. Its mission is to help businesses build brands better, faster and cheaper using technology.

It was founded in June 2015 by former Havas Global CEO and Facebook Client Council founding member David Jones. Since launch, the group has completed 3 acquisitions (Mofilm, fifty-five and theAmplify), launched 2 start-ups (Mosaic and Blood), and invested in 9 tech companies (Niantic, Pixlee, Mashable, Beeswax, Gfycat,, Automat, Jivox, Elsy and Partnered).

It sits at the intersection of: the dramatic growth in mobile; a tech revolution that has empowered people to create, produce and share unprecedented amounts of content; and frustrated global companies looking for brand and tech-savvy partners.

About iDreamSky Technology Limited Founded in 2009, iDreamSky Technology Limited is China's largest mobile games publisher in terms of user base, occupying nearly one-third of the nation's mobile games market. iDreamSky has long been recognized as the market leader in bringing Western mobile games to China, and has successfully launched several globally renowned games in the greater-China area in the past six years, including Temple Run, Subway Surfers, and Monument Valley. iDreamSky's goal is to connect people and entertainment with technology; thus in addition to mobile games, iDreamSky's businesses include advertisement, offline theme stores and intellectual property incubation. The company is also currently exploring and investing in new technological frontiers from augmented reality to virtual reality to artificial intelligence for games. For more information, please visit www.idreamsky.com.